Based on the state of the art prior to the present invention, the creation of a viewable 3-D image of an object in an optical system, such as a microscope, requires the use of filters, dual imaging systems or expensive viewing optics, all of which have their known disadvantages. The prior art has used the notion of convergence parallax or stereoscopic viewing from two angles simultaneously. In the present invention, we teach the use of motion parallax to create a perceivable 3-D image.
Prior to the present invention, it has not been possible to view an object in real-time 3-D through a standard microscope by the addition of a relatively inexpensive add-on device or to create a tomographic model of an object using such a device.